According to the CTIFL (technical interprofessional centre for horticulture) Balandran, France, there are 5 renewable sources of energy that can be utilized: wood, biogas, solar energy, geothermal energy, straw. Regional agencies in France encourage the use of wood (as waste product). It is better that fossil fuels in respect of the environment and its use in heat production works out at Euro 0,3 to 0,8/kW. However these heating systems are more expensive that traditional ones and it is not possible to recover the gas for CO2 enrichment of crops. Biogas such as methane is provided by installations connected to biological waste (and sewage) pits near the greenhouse or more directly from biogas systems using fermentable waste from the Nursery. Legislation will oblige the closure of sewage pits over the next 20 years. The need for a constant supply of fermentable waste and its adaptability to provide biogas for heating systems needs much more study. The use of solar energy in France can be considered only as a supplementary source of energy. Once the solar panels are installed, the energy is always free and the management costs are extremely low. Geothermal energy is theiretically very interesting because heating costs can be reduced to Euro 3.5-3.8/m2/year. Its use is ovbiously limited to the presence of hot water springs (which in France are far fewer than in Italy). Geothermal energy also requires ample space for the necessary plant and equipment. The use of straw can only be considered iwhere there is a lower heat requirement and nearby cultivation of cerial crops to provide adequate straw. Another disadvantage is the seasonality of supply and the large volume of the raw product required. It is difficult to heat greenhouses of an extension greater than 3.000m2. Because of these factors, it is more approprate to set about recovering the heat from burning straw in nearby incinerators (that take into account legislation covering emmissions) or better still, utilize straw for composting or biogas production. "Colture Protette" Fax 051 6575856 E-mail: cp@gce.it